21st Century Dystopia

 'Good Morning Vietnam!' springs to mind along with the late, great and sorely missed Robin Williams.

Adrian Cronauer: It's gonna be hot and wet! 

 Well, there's been hot, hot and even hot as in increasing temperatures for weeks now.

Cue even more silliness courtesy of the media.

Today, an article about customers complaining to the Dairy. What was the complaint?

Milkman has been delivering 'hot milk'.

I'd laugh but I find naught but pity.

People being led 'by the nose' as in Social Media. 

Thinking back to before refrigeration was commonplace. The Larder had a block of marble on which the milk was put along with anything needing to be kept cool. Sitting the bottle in a bowl of cold water also helped. Then there was the time when my Auntie was given a fridge. It was never plugged in as it was thought to be another larder. As the bathroom was a cooler room, in hot weather the milk bottle in a bowl of water sat in the bath.

School holidays long ago - telephones belonged in offices - and people such as the doctor had a phone. 

Mostly, we went everywhere by Shank's Pony. 

The river was just over a mile away. Putting on swimming costumes and ordinary clothes over the top...walking 20-25 mins down to the river. Next, which bank to choose? Crossing the bridge to the deeper, opposite bank. Divesting ourselves of outer clothing, leaving clothes, towels and picnic on the bank. Wonderful, cold water up to our knees. 

Late afternoon, making the return journey, tired and happy walking home.

Children brought up to be self-sufficient and taught to act responsibly. We did not require adult supervision. Trusted to go where we said we were going. A gaggle of children or just 2 or 3.

Today, no-one would dream of being anywhere without a cell-phone. Except those of a certain age...

Children sans responsibility, indulgent parental units setting them to run about inside enclosed garden whist they do nothing of any useful purpose. Offspring day-bit-length screaming, shouting, crying as indulgent 'adults' fail grandly.

Language misuse proliferated by media.

Any hole in a road is declared a 'sink hole'. The latter being  geological terminology reserved mainly for Karst scenery to describe e.g. Gaping Gill near Settle in the Yorkshire Dales. An underground system of limestone caves caused by weathering.

Nothing could be further from the truth than to describe collapsed Victorian sewer systems and burst watermains as 'sink holes'.